It is amazing how many blogs there are about this beautiful van…what is it they say about the sincerest form of flattery?
We picked up our Fiat 238 B van in Italy (Modena) with the idea of transforming it into a perfect replica of a period-correct Ferrari Assistenza Corse (basically Race Support Team). Assistenza can also mean Rescue and sure enough one of its original roles was at the time of the earthquakes in Modena, serving as a safe place to sleep at night, rather than staying inside homes.
The car was originally in a Fiat White and was in very good overall condition body-wise with a few mechanical areas that needed looking at as well as something really really stupid…
Usually when you have a vehicle on a trailer behind you it is about the same height as the towing vehicle. When it’s a van thought…and you forget…and you enter the wrong lane at the Eurotunnel at Calais…then be prepared to buy a new windscreen. Luckily, Pilkington Glass have a service where they can provide perfect replacements for classic car screen.
This is how the car found its way to the UK, across the Alps (with its pre Eurotunnel windscreen).
The main mechanical areas to address were the steering box which was completely reconditioned. The braking system was stripped and rebuilt with all new pipework. The suspension was overhauled with new joints everywhere. The engine was totally fine and the small oil leaks addressed with new seals.
Getting the bodywork correct was reasonably easy thanks to the van being virtually rust free. We then set about giving the interior and panelled wood finish in keeping with vans of the era.
Before the transformation
Bodywork starts
From this…..
…to this…a beautiful transformation project and the van looks quite at home in Leeds.
Interior was in reasonably good condition for a 50 year old van.
Workhorse engine.
Left the interior original – it was only a small split in the vinyl.
Plywood interior
This was an enjoyable project especially as the bodywork was in good condition. The mechanical elements were relatively simple and luckily parts were not too hard to find .
We had toyed with the idea of making it our own Scuderia towing vehicle as it would have made a perfect partner to the trailer and Fiat Spider. However, at some point you have to let go of your projects as much as you would like to keep them.
